The SNES is a legendary console that saw tons of great video games released on it. From Street Fighter to Final Fantasy, from F-Zero to Donkey Kong Country, the console it full of greats in every genre.
And while most of these experiences are single player affairs, there were a lot of games that allowed for 2-player co-op. And I don’t mean two-player competitive modes like in racing or fighting games, we are talking about games that let you work together to beat some grand adventure!
With that said, let’s take a look at a few co-op SNES video games that you can play together with a friend or partner!
- . J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – Volume I
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The Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest stories in modern history. It’s been popular for ages and new interpretations of Tolkien’s stories are still being told. Hell, Amazon spent like a billion dollars in order to be able to make their own version of his books. And along the way we got all sorts of video games based on the series of varying quality. J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings – Volume I for the SNES is one such title that did something pretty special.
It not only allowed for co-op action in gorgeously animated world, it allowed up to five players to experience it together. I had no idea that the SNES allowed for more than two players for any game, so color me impressed that there were people out there playing a 90s console game with five buddies. Shame the game is a brutal slog that most people ignored as it was ahead of its time.
- . Goof Troop
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Playing as Goofy or Max (or each in co-op) you play through five areas in order to save Pete and PJ. To do this you must work together to complete puzzles and take out enemies until you reach the boss of each stage. Goofy moves slower than Max but can deal more damage to enemies and both can throw objects such as barrels or bombs, kick blocks into baddies, knock pirates off a stage or lure them into the path of other enemy attacks.
Goof Troop is a fantastic co-op experience as the difficulty level is fairly low. This means you can play with a younger sibling to show them how fun the 16-bit era used to be. It’s also a fun way to share a night with a partner who isn’t a huge gamer, something I did, and we both had a blast. Capcom really could do no wrong back in the 8 and 16-bit era no matter what style they were working in.
- . The Legend of the Mystical Ninja
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The first game in the Japanese video game series Ganbare Goemon to have a western release, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja is an often-overlooked gem on the SNES. This Konami side-scrolling action game is like Super Mario World if it took place in old-world Japan and had a wicked sense of humor and style. But unlike the Mario series, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja allowed for some really fun co-op action.
Instead of taking turns like you would in Mario and other action platformers of the era, The Legend of the Mystical Ninja let two players take part in the adventure together. Both characters are equipped with thrown weapons from the beginning (which decreases money as the player uses it) and can acquire bombs by purchasing them in stores or by winning them in mini-games.
- . Zombies Ate My Neighbors
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Grab a friend and take on the role of Zeke or Julie, and navigate suburban neighborhoods, shopping malls, pyramids, haunted castles, and other areas, destroying a variety of horror-movie monsters including the game’s namesake, zombies. In each of the games 40+ stages you need to rescue your neighbors who are oblivious to the danger all around them. Once all neighbors on a level have been killed by zombies or saved by the players a door opens that will take the player to the next stage.
Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a very classic and simple concept that has earned legendary status thanks to the fun co-op focused gameplay and the incredible world that the team at LucasArts has created. While the gameplay loop is very basic, the new weapons, many of which affect enemies depending on their movie weaknesses, inventive specials, and B-movie inspired situations keep players engaged right to the end, if you can even make it that far.
- . Secret of Mana
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Secret of Mana is in my opinion the second-best RPG of the 16-bit era. I say this only because Chrono Trigger lacked the co-op that makes Secret of Mana so special, even to this day. When released the game received acclaim for its brightly colored graphics, expansive plot, Ring Command menu system, and innovative real-time battle system that gave the RPG its own distinct feel. And it’s because of this system that the co-op was allowed to happen. Even in 2023 can you think of any RPG that allows for two-players to join the adventure at the same time?
You can choose to control each of the characters at any time when not in co-op, and whichever character is currently selected, the other two companions are controlled via artificial intelligence. This AI earned itself a lot of praise and helped suck you into the experience as you weren’t simply managing characters in-between battles. But the game really stood out against it contemporaries as it allowed you to play simultaneously by up to three players, and with each having their own unique style and abilities each player had a distinct role to play instead of simply being a copy of the main hero.
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